Vítězslav Novák - Lady Godiva; etc. (Libor Pešek)

Information

Composer: Vítězslav Novák

• Overture to the play Lady Godiva, Op. 41
• Toman and the Wood Nymph, Op. 40
• De profundis, Op. 67

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Libor Pešek, conductor

Date: 2000

Label: Chandos

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Review

Víteslav Novák was a member of the talented “in-between” generation of Czech composers, making his name at the turn of the 20th century, after Smetana and Dvorák, but before Martinu and Janácek. By all accounts a somewhat forbidding figure as well as a highly respected teacher, his music shows not a trace of academicism or pedantry. Indeed, he’s one of the very few composers of his era with a genuine sense of humor (check out his delicious ballet Nikotina, on Supraphon, if you want proof), joining contemporaries Gustav Mahler and Ernst von Dohnányi in this select company.

There’s not much to laugh about in the three pieces presented here, though. Lady Godiva is a straightforward tone poem illustrating the battle between sexes as represented in two contrasting themes, one rigid and stern, the other feminine and rhapsodic. Toman and the Wood Nymph, which has seen a couple of previous recordings on Supraphon, is a lovely nature poem inspired by what is basically a universal myth: call them Sirens, Rusalkas, Ondines, the plot always depicts the erotic power of womanhood to lure a man, unknowing, to (a pretty good-feeling) death. De profundis is another matter entirely: an anguished protest (for large orchestra and organ) against the German occupation of Novák’s Czech homeland during the Second World War. Both its composition and first performance were an act of musical bravery. As might be expected from conductor Libor Pešek, who knows all this music cold, the performances are first rate, the recording top drawer. Essential, late Romantic stuff.

— David Hurwitz

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Vítězslav Novák (5 December 1870 – 18 July 1949) was a Czech composer and teacher associated with the neo-romantic tradition and Czech musical modernism. He studied at the Prague Conservatory, attending masterclasses with Antonín Dvořák alongside peers such as Josef Suk. Novák later taught at the Conservatory from 1909 to 1920, with Vítězslava Kaprálová among his students. His work was influential in shaping a national cultural identity following Czechoslovakia's independence in 1918. Known for his orchestral and operatic compositions, Novák's music blends rich Romantic expression with modernist elements

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Libor Pešek (22 June 1933 – 23 October 2022) was a Czech conductor. He studied at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague under Václav Smetáček and Karel Ančerl. Pešek founded and led Prague Chamber Harmony (1958–1964), served as chief conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic (1981–1982), and was conductor-in-residence with the Czech Philharmonic (1982–1990). From 1987 to 1998, he was music director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, leading its first U.S. tour. He later conducted the Czech National Symphony Orchestra (2007–2019). Pešek was best known for his champion of lesser known Czech composers.

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